


Understanding

by somebodysangel



Series: Skyeyes and Ocean Eyes [6]
Category: Sea Patrol (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Swain Knows, celibacy pledge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 23:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16335416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodysangel/pseuds/somebodysangel
Summary: "No one said the world was fair, ET."/"Yeah, well "no-one" was wrong, Charge."After this scene in 2.04 Heaven Born Captains, Swain goes to talk to ET and helps him realise something.





	Understanding

“No-one said the world was fair, ET,” Charge said with a grin.

“Yeah, well ‘No-one’ was wrong, Charge,” ET snapped, taking one last sandwich and moving away from the galley.

The other sailors in the breakfast queue watched him go. “Touchy,” Bomber commented, voicing what many others thought.

In the senior sailors’ mess, Swain listened to the footsteps coming toward him, and was not surprised to hear them go straight past. He could tell from the tone of ET’s voice that the leading seaman wasn’t in the mood for jovial conversation. Thankfully, the others were much more interested in the romantic lives of their superiors than a little frustration from a fellow sailor, which saved Swain from having to turn the conversation away from ET.

After depositing his breakfast dishes back in the galley, Swain went looking for ET. He wasn’t in his cabin, nor any of the common areas - not that Swain had really expected to find him around others. Thinking about where he would go himself to be alone, Swain eventually made his way to the foredeck.

Sure enough, ET was sitting with legs dangling off the edge of the ship, throwing pieces of toasted sandwich into the water.

“How long has it been?” Swain asked by way of greeting, sitting cross-legged next to ET.

“What?”

“You know what; it’s the reason you’re acting like a petulant teenager.”

ET sighed, still looking out at the waves. “Ten months, three weeks and four days.”

Swain hid a smile, and tried to inject sympathy into his tone, “That stings. But I have noticed she’s stopped freezing you out altogether, making progress?”

“Some.” He threw the last piece of sandwich away, using all his strength to throw it as far as possible. “I let you win the other day.”

Blinking at the sudden change of subject, Swain thought back to the competition the previous week. “The sprint? I figured that out when you lost three in a row. Why?”

“She asked me to.” A faraway smile came over ET’s face, an expression Swain hadn’t seen on him before. “I had to prove I care more about her than my pride.”

“You certainly did that,” Swain commented with a grin, beyond impressed that his friend had come so far he would willing invite ridicule to prove his feelings for a woman. “And you would have let her beat you as well, wouldn’t you?”

He nodded, still grinning at the sea. “I’d do anything to show her how much I-” He blinked, sobering, and looked at Swain for the first time. “I love her, Swain.”

“I know.” It was obvious to Swain, had been for months, but from the shock on ET’s face, he had only just realised.

“I’m in love with Nikki,” he repeated, softly into the breeze.

Swain nudged his shoulder. “She was always more than another notch on your bedpost, I could tell from the beginning.” ET shot him a questioning look, so he continued. “The look in your eyes whenever you look at her, especially when she’s looking back. It’s like she’s…” he trailed, off searching for the right word.

“Home,” ET supplied, voice barely above a whisper.

Nodding, Swain smiled to himself. He recognised that tone of voice. ET had it  _ bad _ . “She’s well on her way to the same place, you just have to give her some more time.”

“I’ll give her whatever she needs.”

Swain placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Keep doing what you’re doing, show her how you feel. Don’t just say the words, prove it.”


End file.
